


Counting the Raindrops

by ShadowoftheLightningPack



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Author loves to chat in the Comments, Character Death, Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, Eventual Plot, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Multi, Plot, Post-Canon, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author is Sleep Deprived, polyamourous relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 04:33:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18381032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowoftheLightningPack/pseuds/ShadowoftheLightningPack
Summary: To conceal the Kishin, Crona covered the moon in Black Blood, imprisoning both of the, on it. And now, every night on the moon, all night, every night, Crona fights the Kishin. One day, that ends, and when it does, life changes once again, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. With Madness spreading once more, things becomes intense, and it looks almost like the good ol' days, with one big change: The Group is growing older, and in some ways, growing closer, in other ways, apart.





	1. Remember

MAKA

 

Crona. I stare up at the moon, blackish grey, coated and made into a shell by the Black Blood of Crona Gorgon. My friend had gone bad at the end, returned to the old ways, only...worse. Crona had promised to dye the moon with the Black Blood, and had carried it out, but this doesn’t seem to be the way I had expected. Crona had thought, like the rest of us, the Kishin could be killed. Ragnarok absorbed his soul and thought they had won, but when things reversed themselves, I remembered that Crona saw that as long as fear lived, his soul could never be collected. He would never be able to truly die. Ceona made a huge sacrifice, to lock him away, imprisoning BOTH of them and I had had made promise I'm not sure I’ll be able to keep, but I’ll sure as hell try. I promised I would come for back one day. That someday, maybe a week, maybe a decade, I would see Crona again, because I would return and I would bring home my friend. I had to. I owed that much to both Crona and Ragnarok. They saved our lives by sacrificing themselves. If I could save at least one of them, it would hardly even START to pay back the debt I, no. The debt ALL of us owed. Even after all we’d been through, in the end, we stuck together.

 

"Oi, Maka. You okay?"

 

I look over my shoulder.  
"Hey, Soul." I nod to the moon. "What do you think? Do you think Crona's still up there, alive somewhere?"

 

Soul watched the moon.  
"Yeah. If Crona wasn't, wouldn’t the Kishin have escaped?" He sighs. "I’m not sure what’s worse. Being dead, or alive up there in THAT situation."

 

"I think being alive would be harder. More painful, more terrifying. He's the lord of fear. And Crona's had plenty even before being locked in with the Kishin lord. That’s why someday, I’m going back and I’m going to find a way to save Crona."

 

Soul wraps an arm around my shoulders as we stare at the dark moon.  
"I get that, and I’ll help however I can. I mean...Crona's my friend too."

 

I smile softly.  
"Every day, I look up and see that dark moon, and I imagine Crona's face, and...sometimes I wonder if Crona ever looks over the moon's edge- see somehow through the black blood- and wonders about us, and how we’re doing." I shake my head. "I can only hope there's peace there instead of terror and war."

 

"Even if Crona fights, it's for us." He smiles. "More specifically, for you. You’ve always been special, with good reason."

 

I lean against my partner.  
"Yeah, I know. I just...want things to be okay. I promised I’d see Crona again someday, and I can’t do that if...if..." I trail off on the thought.

 

"No," Soul promises. "I can feel it. Trust me."

 

I smile softly.  
"Oh I do."

 

"C'mon. We should get some sleep."

 

"Yeah."

 

He stands up and offers me a hand up, which I take, and we head inside to retire for the night, but I’m awake for a long time with my thoughts before I somehow manage to drift off to sleep. Oh I can only imagine what must be going on up there on that moon.


	2. Struggle: Battle on the Moon?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the fight on the moon from Crona's perspective, and many a thing happen, but with both sides in great power, is there a certain outcome to be determined?
> 
> A chapter in which Crona's words contradict actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh man I had fun with this cheater. Hope you guys like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or its characters. I own only the plot I’m laying out.

 

CRONA

 

Only a day or two after Maka and the others had escaped, my soul had broken free from the Kishin's, returning me to my own body, much to my relief. It’s less painful this way. I’ve been free for a few days, and it’s been harder than I expected. Through the thick casing of the Black Blood, I couldn’t see anything of the world below. Thankfully, I was no stranger to darkness, and by now, almost a month after I’d pulled my trick, my eyes had adjusted to the constant blackness, and I was no longer blind here. In fact, this was my forte. Next to alone, with only the Kishin and thin remnants of my partner for company. Having spread out the Black Blood had not been good for his health, but unlike usual, he didn’t complain. He and I both knew there was no choice. This was the ONLY way to keep the Kishin contained. He couldn’t die, but could be trapped.

My gaze slowly drifted towards the resting place of the Kishin, eyes falling on his form, hunched and relaxed, as if he were asleep, but if time served right, dusk would be soon. Everything was still and silent. The only way I’d know if my timing was right was because every night, as soon as the sun would set, Asura would waken from his sleep. He would wake and speak, and it was the same thing every night. I speak of protecting my friends, of my sacrifice for the greater good, and he’d speak of fear and freedom, our goals colliding, and with them, if we don’t match, as we never do, we'll engage in battle, a fight for control. The Black Blood that imprisons us is mine, but the Madness belongs to him. He underestimated me the first time since I was close to mortal at the time, having been born with half human genetics and half witch. While not immortal unless I became a full Kishin, my lifespan is greatly extended, and with it, my resilience. I will not fall, and so the cycle repeats every day. Sleep, wake, speak, fight, rest, recover, repeat. That’s all there was. I forgot that being mortal, I’d have to have food and water, all that had been important was consuming the Kishin, taking his power, and once I recovered, all that had mattered was to take action to protect my friends, to save Death City and the rest of the world from the original Kishin. I myself could be considered one, having almost fused my soul to Asura's, but I prefer not to walk down that dark path. As per usual, I was awake first, but not by long, as only minutes later, the Kishin stirred from his deep and silent slumber.

 

"Kishin Asura," I greeted him.

 

"Crona Gorgon." He returned. "It’s been thirty one days as of tonight. Are you still not willing to listen to what I have to say?"

 

I fixed him with a firm stare. On earth, I'd rarely been this confident, but I had to now. For Maka. She'd been brave. My turn.  
"No," I told him. "No I will not, because what you have to say will be the same as always," I guessed. "You’ll want me to kill the casing so you can go free to earth to wreck havoc and spread your Madness. That puts everyone at risk, don’t you see? It might not be so bad for you up here, safe from Shinigami-Sama-”

 

"The Shinigami-Sama you know is dead," he told me, which was new information to me. "I have little to fear from the new Death God. The Reaper is weak compared to me."

 

"You mean...When Kid's Sanzu Lines connected...?"

 

He nodded.  
"Exactly. There can only be one true Shinigami at a time, and for now, that’s Death the Kid. I have nothing to fear from him. I could go out in the world and do my job, and be safe at the same time."

 

"No." I shook my head. "What about academy students if they came in large groups?"

 

"Like flies."

 

"You’d be on the run from the academy AND witches. People would never respect the likes of you."

 

"You forget you’re no different. Once you’d consumed me, you became Kishin too. A full Kishin."

 

Surprise flickered through me. I hadn’t thought of that.  
"Do you h-have confirmation of that?" I asked nervously.

 

He stared at me for a moment.  
"I was a Meister myself once. The most powerful ever known, before or since. I gained many abilities standard of Meisters, as well as many more advanced techniques. I can see your soul, red, just the same as mine." He paused. "Are we truly evil, Crona?" He suddenly asked. "Are you and I as bad as they think? They say we spread Mad was and cause death and destruction in our wake. Perhaps. Sometimes. But are we really the ultimate evil, when Shinigami-Sama kept everyone trapped within his 'order' and all? He trapped people, sends CHILDREN on dangerous missions, and look at me and my foolish younger brother. We were both Shinigami's experiments, not simply his children, hence why I am made of fear. So are we truly evil, or are we simply trying to set ourselves free?"

 

"Stop talking all philosophical! I don’t know how to deal with that!" Well. A bit of my old self there. I took a deep breath in and let it out again. "There’s no pure evil being. Kid once said that. Nobody is pure good, nor is any human free of malice, and whether or n-not our souls are Kishin, in the end, we're still human." I raised my gaze to meet his. "So yes. Yes and no. We do what feels n-naturally, be it right or wrong. That’s all. In my case, I’m here to keep people safe with my own sacrifice. In your case, you wish to spread to the rest of the world the very Madness that caused all these disasters in the first place. You want to take control, to do to everyone else what was done to you, but...that’s n-not the only way to do things. Tell me it isn’t."

 

He shook his head.  
"And what’s so wrong with the Madness?" He asked. "It’s freeing. You feel no fear, nor any pain that way. It’s...relaxing, in a way. Only if you allow yourself to embrace it like I have though."

 

"Yep," I confirmed. "And in doing so, everyone now thinks you’re a nut case."

 

"Cheeky, aren’t you?" He asked, and the scarves unwrapped from around his face, revealing one similar enough to Kid's that it made me ache. Two insanely different people, but yet their resemblance was uncanny. "I suppose I’ll have to punish you, won’t I?"

 

I rested my hand on my shoulder.  
"I'm sorry...I know, with the Black Blood spreading out, I’ve worn you thin, but...p-please. I need you. P-Please stand with me still, Ragnarok. I’m sorry..."

 

My partner appeared and rested his arms on the top of my head. He didn’t really have much in the way of an expressive face, but I could tell he was tired. His soul wasn’t full anymore now that I’d used his abilities to coat the moon in what was now our prison, but he hadn’t complained. He had known as well as I did that this was the only way. Even so, my partner's strength was fading, slowly, perhaps, but being part of me, we were in a constant mild resonance, at least, and I could feel that lack of strength. Being so thin, I had next to no strength of my own and he supported me. When he tried this time, it wasn’t right.

 

*It'll have to do.* I noted.  
"Ragnarok...Demon Sword mode. Prepare for Scream Resonance."

 

Ragnarok disappeared from my shoulder and became the Demon Sword I wielded. The Kishin watched with...amusement?  
"You’re brave, I'll give you that." He stepped forward. "Bravery alone won’t be enough to save you."

 

"It will," I insisted. "I may not win, but I’ll still fight, and when the sun comes up tomorrow, I’ll still be alive. Ragnarok won’t let me die."

 

"We'll see about that."

 

"Then why waste time talking? You’re the one who's hesitating."

 

He stiffened, walking forward.  
"You’re awful eager to die. Remember that I don’t NEED my weapon partner to fight." He placed a hand firmly over my chest, watching me. "My abilities as both a Kishin and a Shinigami should prove more than enough to stop that heart."

 

"Then why am I still alive after a full month? Because you aren’t strong enough."

 

"I’ve been growing in strength overtime. Even if not tonight, sooner or later my power will be great enough that I can and will crush you like a fly."

 

"I am also a Kishin, remember. I’ve seen the inside of your soul. Also, I am the Demon Swordsmaster, the child of a witch, and a former student of the academy all at once."

 

"You can’t REALLY think we're on even ground in a real fight."

 

"Oh. I never said THAT. I simply mean to imply I'm not as helpless as you seem to think I am. After a Moon of nights of fighting me, I had thought you’d know that."

 

He spread his fingers out from where his hand rested against my chest, and at once, what felt like a blast of electricity threw me to the ground. Soul Menace, right off the bat. NOT a great start. It’s one of the attacks I'm...rather susceptible to, sadly. I stared at him for a moment, trying to get my mind under control to the best of my abilities, lest being in such close proximity to the god of Madness spread to me his fear, anger and distrust. If THAT happened, I may just lose my resonance with Ragnarok.

 

"Hey, stop it! That’s rude!" I shouted.

 

He dropped down, leaning over top of me.  
"What can you do, child? You’re trapped already and haven’t even made a move." He pinned my wrists above my head, watching me. "Tell me what it is you think you can do to defeat an entity such as myself, especially in your weakened, trapped state. I single-handedly took down multiple witches at once, I consumed the soul of a loved one, escaped attacks from Shinigami himself, bested all your friends with ease, and they were all at full strength. All of them. You, on the other hand, are a small, frail human who lays on the floor, trapped under me."

 

"If you complain about me being t-tr-trapped, then why not let me up?" I suggested hopefully. His expression was calm, but his Madness radiated from him, and I felt the fear seeping into me, knowing it was coming from him in waves.

 

He watched me with a serene smile.  
"Let go, Crona Gorgon," he advised.

 

"Let go of what?" I demanded.

 

"Let go of everything. You anger, regret, bitterness, fear. You are afraid right now, but you don’t need to be."

 

"Why? You promised to KILL me five minutes ago. I’d say th-that's worthy of fear..." Despite my best attempts, being so close to the god of terror had made my voice drop to a pitiful whimper.

 

"Oh come," he sighed and shook his head, standing up. His scarves reached forward and lifted me up by the neck and waist, curving around my thin, frail frame. "Just relax. Relax and let go of it all. Become one with the Madness and you'll live a life with no fear, and you’ll possibly even understand what goes through my mind, why I do the things I do, if you are in a similar mindset." He watched me with the finest hint of a smirk on his face. "Or would you rather give in and die here and now? Either is a possibility."

 

"I...won’t g-give in to your s-stupid Madness."

 

"An interesting decision, given the options you have. Are you sure? If you won’t give in to it, I WILL kill you. I’d rather not have my peace disturbed by a constant battle."

 

"I’m sure."

 

"Then, oh great young one, forgive me." Despite his words, his tone holds a slight mocking note.

 

"I’ll ne-never forgive you for anything, n-nor should anyone else."

 

The scarves tightened around my waist and throat, restricting air and gradually tightening further and further until I let out a quiet whimper of desperation and terror. He was going to kill me. I was actually going to die. I’d promised I would see Maka again though! I had PROMISED! I swung weakly towards the scarves, trying in vain to cut myself free, but my strength was nil. The sword dropped from my hand and this time did not immediately shift back into my partner to return to my spine. It sat there for almost a full minute before dissolving into the shadows and returning the essence of my partner to my body.

 

"Is this really the path you choose?" My opponent asked, watching me calmly.

 

"L-Let...go...p-please! I can’t...breathe."

 

"That kind of the point. I’m not holding you hostage. So far, that’s been your job. No. I’m trying to kill you. Strangling seemed a good option, and no need to get my hands dirty, though I will if it'll finish the job faster and make you quiet down sooner."

 

"Let me...down..." I begged, staring at him with pleading eyes. "Please..."

 

"Interesting. The child who talked so confidently to me only minutes ago is now suspended midair, begging and pleading for mercy. How cute. Perhaps I’ll give you another shot simply out of interest. You’ve taken some different approaches tonight." He lowered me to the ground and unwrapped his scarves. "Come at me then, kiddo, before I change my mind."

 

I summoned my weapon again and charged.  
"Ragnarok, Soul Resonance." I slashed across my own palm. "Bloody Lance!" At once, a curved projectile shot from my injured hand towards my opponent.

 

He ducked suddenly to just barely avoid it.  
"You know...I got use to your attacks easily, fighting for hours and hours a night. Try something new," he insisted.

 

"Ragnarok..." My voice lowered to an almost inaudible murmur, even to myself. "Prepare for Screech Alpha. We can finish this now."

 

He appeared in the dark blade.  
"That'll kill you too if it hits!"

 

"I know, but...it’d put an end to him too. At...At last, the constant fight would end and we could all lay here, the moon our final resting place." I smiled softly. "There are worse things, and...at least we would be remembered as heroes."

 

"Heroic sacrifice? That’s your plan?" Asura smirked. "You’re brave, I'll give you that. Would it really be victory if you can’t see the end of it?"

 

"Yes," I told him. "It would mean my friends are safe, so is the rest of Death City, and all the fighting I’ve done wouldn’t be for nothing!"

 

"You’re a child. You don't understand how things work yet, do you?" He raised a hand, cupping my chin. "Such a talented child you are. It's really a shame to waste you and your strength."

 

"Then don't," I stepped back quickly. "Violence and Madness isn't the only way. You were one of the Great Old Ones, the ones who stood with Lord Death! You were one of the honoured warriors, protectors of humanity! Why can’t you be that again, huh?"

 

"That path was one of fear and misery, a path nobody in their right mind wants."

 

"You control the damn Madness, you’re NOT in your right mind!"

 

"Even if I wanted to- which I don't- they would never take me back, they would never trust me again."

 

"You don’t know that! Kid is the new Shinigami, and...he's fair, kind, he has a sense of what’s right a wrong and is... one for order and justice. Wouldn’t justice include a second chance? Lord Death didn’t give you one, but...Kid might," I told him.

 

"It’s too late." He ran a thumb along my cheek. "Tell me, Crona. Is there anyone down there that actually, genuinely loves you? Your own mother didn’t," he reminded me. "Is there anyone, or are you alone, deluding yourself into thinking your 'friends' will miss you, or even remember you in a year?"

 

Tears came to my eyes. Was he right? Would they even care? Would they care I’d sacrificed my own safety and freedom for them? Even if the answer was no, I had no regrets about it, because I loved THEM. I'd in the past done them wrong, and I needed to atone for that, and what better way than to stop the being that had done so much damage to all those we knew and loved? That was my answer to his question. It didn’t matter if they loved me. Because I loved them, I had something to live for.

 

"I don’t care if they’ve forgotten about me now." That part was a lie, but I didn’t care if they thought of me as much as I thought of them. Just that I could keep them safe. "All that matters to me is stopping your Madness from spreading. I’ll fight until you concede or until one of us is dead."

 

"Being full-fledged Kishins, one of us a Shinigami and the other the offspring off a witch, this battle could last ten seconds or a century, if not more. Our lifespans are...extended."

 

"Then so be it. Now...enough talking, let’s fight."

 

"You have some fight in you." He reached forward again, stroking my cheek. "Let’s see how long it'll carry you through. I had a chance to finish you earlier and I dropped it from curiosity. Next time I have you in my clutches, I will not release you until I hold your soul in my hand."

 

I summoned Ragnarok again and charged, swinging towards my opponent. He mostly fended off my attacks, occasionally throwing in one of his own as if simply to keep my interest. Finally, I began to tire. Four hours. We had spoken for one and fought for four, we're halfway through the night. Noticing my growing exhaustion, the Kishin let down his shields and stepped forward. A few steps away from me, he summoned his weapon and pressed the tip of it against my chest, right over the heart.

 

"Sorry, Crona. You’ve been a worthy opponent, and I thank you for occupying my time here, but it’s high time I walked free," he told me. "It’s time for you to die!"

 

"No! Wait!" I insisted. I swung weakly at him. "Wait...just...just a few more moments of life..."

 

"What does it matter?" He watched me. "Do you feel fear setting in? It’s okay, you don’t need to be afraid. There is no fear here. Not as long as I have control over the Madness, and I always will."

 

He fired the weapon, electric charge blasting into my body and sending me several feet back and to the ground. It felt as if I were on fire. I gasped for breath, chest heaving with the effort of drawing in precious air. Pain filled my entire body, then numbness. Then pain again. *Why?* I silently demanded. *Why does it have to hurt so much? If I’m to die today, why can’t I go quickly?*

 

"Farewell, Crona."

 

"D-Damn...you. Did you ever c-care about someone? Did you ever think of...what it'd feel like to lose a loved one?" I asked, watching him. "Or to be the lost one, wondering if anyone knows or c-cares?"

 

"No, for which I’m glad. No emotional connection to that. It means I can kill you with minimal regret."

 

"Minimal? Why do it all, if y-you'd regret it?"

 

"Better that than the constant whining and hearing the same thing over and over. While perhaps entertaining at first, you've become simply annoying now, like a buzzing fly."

 

I breathed heavily, trying to get myself under control.  
"Then I’m a fly that won’t be as easy to swat as you think. Ragnarok, Screech Beta."

 

"Beta?" The Kishin laughed. "Alpha is always stronger than Beta in any circumstance. He said you wouldn’t last through that, and while Beta is weaker, I doubt that the likes of you could pull off an attack inferior only slightly to Alpha."

 

"I’m the only user of this technique as far as I know, so yes, I can pull it off." I forced myself to my feet again. "Ragnarok, now. Unless you want the both of us to die."

 

Ragnarok appeared in my hand.  
"Resonance stable," he declared.

 

I nodded.  
"Screech Beta."


	3. Battle on the Moon Part 2: Final Straw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle between Crona and Asura continues, and the end of that battle leaves Crona with a drastic change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry in advance.

CHAPTER 3: Final Straw

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.

Warning: Character Death

 

ASURA

 

The attack hit me at full force, throwing me backwards and causing a searing pain as the disfigured face's 'teeth' sank into my leg. Black blood oozed from the wound onto the moon's surface. I tensed as I yanked free, which only caused the wound to widen, then my gaze drifted back to my opponent's. Their expression was different now. Jaw set in a firm line, eyes hardened and cold. *Interesting. They've changed. I’ve seen them, day after day, for a month now. Usually timid and off to themselves, they change when we fight, become hardened and tough in the moment, but this? This is different even for them. Absolute determination and not a trace of fear. The Black Blood courses through them, but still they didn’t show the slightest trace of the fear or Madness that almost always accompanied that. Even the way they held their sword was more confident.

 

"You’re strong, but at the same time will soon be weak." I straightened and faced them. "Sense the soul of your weapon."

 

"I can’t afford to, I’ll lose focus and you’ll kill me!"

 

"No. Try, just for a moment. I’ll stay right here."

 

"Promise."

 

"I promise."

 

Crona's eyes closed and the tall, thin body relaxed, then stiffened again and the child let out an earsplitting wail, like a mix between a siren and a dying cat.

 

"RAGNAROK!"

 

The sword disappeared from Crona's hand and appeared as a small-ish black mass on their back, though the being flickered, not quite solid. It was...about half the size of Crona themselves. Crona reached up and gingerly took the mass's hand, their own hand shaking in their partner's much larger one. Tears shone in my opponent's eyes, and just for a moment, I felt just a bit sorry for them. They were losing their weapon, after all.

 

"It must be quite a shock," I noted "to realize that you’re losing someone so close to you."

 

"Ragnarok isn’t just close to me. He’s goddamn FAMILY!" Crona screeched. "He’s dying because of YOU coming here and thus forcing me to do this!"

 

"No," I corrected, shaking my head. "You CHOSE to come up here. I never forced you to do anything. This was completely of your own free will."

 

The black mass rested its head on top of Crona's.  
"It’s okay, Crona. Heroic sacrifice, for the greater good. 'Course, dying wasn’t high on my priority list, but whatever. It’s better than living in a world with pathetic humans who hide from what’s right in front of them." He bopped Crona's cheek lightly, halfheartedly. "That includes you, dumbass."

 

Crona smiled despite being hit.  
"I know. Still...you’re all I’ve had since I was a kid."

 

"Stupid Crona. You have Maka."

 

"Not up here I don’t."

 

"Well I ain’t gonna die immediately. I won’t go without a fight. C'mon. I’ve gotta save your ass at LEAST one more time before I go. I care too much about you for my own freaking good..."

 

I watched the two.  
"Is it that you care, Demon Sword, or that you care about yourself? Crona IS your host body, after all. Do you care about Crona as a person, or just the vessel?"

 

He plopped onto Crona's head and wrapped his arms around Crona, hugging Meister protectively.  
"Of COURSE I care about Crona!" He insisted. "Fed me, talked to me, fought with me- in both senses- and yeah, was my host body. Gave me physical form. Crona's a unique individual who requires love and attention constantly. That means I had to take care of that and overtime became..." he shuddered. "Affectionate."

 

"Affectionate? The constant abuse is affection?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

Crona waved it off.  
"Heh...it’s fine! He’s not hurting me anymore. The slaps and punches don’t hurt now that he’s not three times my s-size."

 

Ragnarok's eyes swivelled to focus on his Meister.  
"I never MEANT it to hurt."

 

Crona smiled softly.  
"I know." Then the smile faded. "The Kishin says...I’m losing you. Your soul is worn thin, I can tell that. Don’t die on me, Ragnarok... I still need you."

 

"Of course you do. You've always needed me 'cause you can’t do anything for yourself!"

 

I smirked as I watched their exchange. A rather...entertaining sight, I must admit. They kept at it for a few minutes. At this rate, I would hardly need to fight them at all, they would both wear each other out. Honestly, I could probably curl up and sleep and not have to worry about if I’d get stabbed in the back. They loved each other and worked well when they tried, but when they fought...well I’d seen this a good few times from the Meister and Demon Sword. When they argued, it could get...interesting.

 

Crona finally ended the argument and faced me again.  
"The sun will be up soon. Are we finishing tonight's battle, or do you finally surrender?"

 

I straightened.  
"We continue."

 

And so we did. For three more hours before the area seemed to lighten, just in the slightest, and our energy faded. Time to retire, with yet another standstill.

 

LATER...

 

I woke from my sleep, watching as Crona slept in the corner furthest away from me on the small, blood encased moon. How easy it would be to kill my opponent. A peaceful, painless death during sleep. It couldn’t be the worst of fates, could it? Just for a moment, I was tempted. But...while on one hand we fought, on another, Crona was my only company in our imprisonment.

Minutes passed. Then hours, until Crona finally woke. It must’ve been evening, not yet time for our battle to begin once more though. Why were they awake? They rarely woke during daylight hours. Crona slowly stood, stretching backwards at an oddly inhuman angle, then seemed just to fall forward, hunched in half. I recognized this immediately. Ragnarok wasn’t done with the argument from hours earlier. He was going to take control of Crona's body with the Mad Blood mindset. Not at all healthy. Crona screamed and clawed at their own face, short fingernails finally drawing blood, greyish black liquid oozing from the small wound. While he wasn’t within sight, still Ragnarok laughed, a quiet, dry and hoarse chuckling sound that was rather unpleasant. How Crona lived with the loud, brash creature, I had no idea. That was honestly something to be admired.

 

"I woke w-when I felt you staring." Crona's voice was hollow and mostly empty, devoid of emotion. "You were th-thinking to kill me." It’s a statement, not a question.

 

"Maybe." I watched the tall, scarily thin teenager summon the Demon Sword. "Why did you do it, Crona? Why did you throw away the chance at years and years of life to imprison both of us?"

 

"Because it was the only w-way to protect them. Otherwise...Otherwise you w-would’ve run loose. You w-would’ve killed so many people." Crona looked over at me, locking their eyes on mine. "I’ve seen too much death, and I’m just seventeen."

 

"You’ll see no more deaths," I promised. "None except your own."

 

A tiny smile appeared on Crona's face, and it didn’t look quite right.  
"But yet, you can’t kill me, can you?"

 

"Of course I can!"

 

"You’re easily thrice my power. So why haven’t you?"

 

"Because I haven’t had a good chance to?"

 

My opponent stepped forward a few steps, slowly.  
"You’ve had so many opportunities to end me. Even last night, you could’ve choked me to death in half a second, but you let me go. They said you were afraid of everything. Is it possible...you’re afraid to be without me, now that you’ve become use to it? That you’re afraid of loneliness?" The usual stutter was gone. Ragnarok must have succeeded in applying the Mad Blood mode.

 

"No! Of course not!" I screeched.

 

Crona's smile grew just in the slightest, becoming now slightly creepy.  
"And now you’re afraid of admitting to being afraid. It’s okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of." The sword disappeared from my opponent's hand. "Why don’t we sit and talk a while instead of fighting for the thirty first night in a row? Wouldn’t that be a welcome change? Maybe...we could learn to understand each other and not have to be enemies like this." Crona sat in front of me. "It’s okay. You yourself said there’s no need for fear. Once, I was well on my way to becoming a Kishin myself. I was...fourteen, maybe fifteen, and my mother Medusa was making me take human souls. Pure souls. I’d adopted the Madness, the Mad Blood technique, and it was hurting me, physically and emotionally, and I wasn’t able to feel it because that was all I’d ever known. Maybe it’s the same for you. You think you’re fine the way you are...because you haven’t known anything else."

 

"Well what changed you? Some magic spell or potion? We don’t have that, damn you!"

 

Crona's thin, pale lips turned up in a small smile.  
"Maka changed me. I don't have a Grigori Soul like hers, nor do I have an Anti-Demon Wavelength, holding the Demon Sword himself within me, but maybe..." my former opponent smiled just a bit more. "Maybe I could do for you what she did for me. I can only do it if you’ll let me though."

 

"We’ve fought, time and time again. How could I trust you to FIX anything?"

 

"Calm down. Maka and I fought three times. But...in the end, she was still my best friend. Because she opened herself up to me, and I did in turn." Crona extended a hand to me. "Will you let me help you?"

 

I jerked away, pressed myself against the black sphere of our prison.  
"Stay away! Get away from me!"

 

Crona pulled back, a sad look replacing the small smile.  
"I see...so that’s how you want it to be. I feel pity for you." My opponent backed up with a shake of the head. "If you don’t let people in, you’ll never experience the kind of freedom I did."

 

"I don’t want it!"

 

"I can see that. If you change your mind, the offer will always stand."

 

Fear of the child flickered through me. Why the sudden change in plan? Why? Why the sudden concern?  
"I won’t hold back anymore," I declared, voice hoarse. "Today is gonna be the last day, I’m gonna end you!"

 

Crona smirked slightly.  
"If you kill me, the Black Blood casing will never have the chance to fade."

 

"If I kill you, it’ll grow weaker. I’ll consume the soul of another Kishin, one with witch blood in them, and become strong enough to one day break free!"

 

Crona looked to the ground.  
"I was afraid of that. Ragnarok." The Demon Sword former in the Meister's hand. "If you’re really so sure about killing me, prove it."

 

And so it began, all over again as always, back and forth, back and forth, the both of us sustaining injuries. Because of our status and heritage, both of us were TECHNICALLY immortal. Crona had the disadvantage on that piece, being born a mortal with an extended lifespan. However, becoming a true Kishin would’ve granted immortality if things still worked as they always had. 

Still. This meant the battle could go on forever. Quite literally forever, unless I ended it. Because Crona hadn’t been BORN immortal, they could still be killed. They just wouldn’t be taken by old age or sickness. Wouldn’t die of natural causes. However, a wound that would kill a human, with a bit of added force, would most certainly be fatal to the young one. I almost felt bad to kill such a young child, to end a life that could have been so long, so valuable. Almost. This one had been my only company, and yet the reason for that was because of the Black Blood Crona had wrapped the both of us up in ON PURPOSE. If I could kill my opponent at long last, I could be free in a matter of days, maybe a couple weeks, but...I could be free. I turned to look at the violet-haired teenager, looked into the pale, misty eyes. Could I truly put an end to this one? This CHILD? I had killed elderly, adults, teenagers and children alike and indiscriminately. Why would Crona be any different than them? Crona was nothing but a child with impressive power and skill. Was that really something that I cared so much about? We went on and on for many hours before I finally managed to stab Crona through the shoulder, pinning my opponent. I left the projectile in, keeping Crona trapped, and approached almost...warily. Yes, I was still nervous at potential tricks.

 

"No way..." Crona's eyes widened. "You’re...actually going to k-kill me this time, aren’t you?" The Mad Blood was releasing.

 

I nodded.  
"At last. Anything to say first, last words?"

 

Crona winced, tugging against the black blood spear that had won me victory.  
"Ahhh!" Once they stopped screaming, those eyes focused once more on me. "Promise me you w-won't hurt Maka. That’s all th-that matters!"

 

"Maka is the girl with the pigtails, right?"

 

"Yeah, her. D-Don't hurt her. That’s...That's all I want..."

 

"No harm shall come to that girl. If she attacks, I will defend myself, but I’ll not be the one to launch the first attack."

 

Crona gave a tiny nod.  
"I..." The teenager gasped, returning to normal as the Mad Blood released its hold. "I don’t w-want to die! It’ll kill Ragnarok too!" Crona squirmed against the spear holding them to the ground. "P-Please...Don’t...Don't do this! Please!" Tears formed in the beautiful violet eyes. Tears of terror. "I...She promised she’d see me again and she can’t d-do that if I’m dead, right?!?"

 

"Your pleas are lost on me."

 

"You told her y-you weren’t evil, that’s why she couldn't d-do it. Show that...that somewhere, you’ve got a h-heart. Some kind of...of pity. Mercy!"

 

"No. You’ve plagued me long enough, kept me trapped here too long."

 

Crona's eyes squeezed shut.  
"Then make it painless...I’m...I'm scared."

 

I aimed to stab my opponent's heart, and immediately, Ragnarok appeared out of nowhere, seemingly, protruding from the teenager's middle instead of spine and darting into a new position to take the blow for the Meister. Ragnarok had never struck me as that type, protective to that degree. Was this what a real partnership was like? Surprisingly, frustration wasn’t what came to mind, but instead...sadness, regret, almost. Ragnarok had sacrificed himself for his partner, had shown an odd playfulness and affection. I had felt the affection from Crona towards the weapon, and vice versa, even if it came across weirdly. They resonated well and easily, and trusted each other, talked to each other, got over their arguments well. If I hadn’t been so afraid...would Vajra and I have been able to be like that? For the first time, I regretted what I’d done to my former partner. In that moment, I knew. If I could have taken back what happened to Vajra, I would. In a second. I would have taken it back and made an effort. He was intimidating, yes, that’s why I had been scared of him, but...I remembered his good heart. He had partnered with me of his own free will SOLELY for the sake of helping me get over my fear of...well... everything.

 

"RAGNAROK!" Crona screamed, voice shrill and high pitched. "No! Why'd you do that, you idiot?!?"

 

The black mass looked up at the Meister.  
"Stupid Crona..." he muttered, but there was no bitterness. "I’m your weapon. I thought from how Soul talks, you know how that works." The Demon Sword dropped his gaze. "The weapon is always ready and willing to die for their Meister. I may be cranky and snappish, but that doesn’t mean I ain’t loyal."

 

Tears streamed down Crona's face.  
"No...you can't die...you CAN'T!"

 

"Just get the hell outta here and back to Maka."

 

"Ragnarok-"

 

"Thanks, Crona. You gave me a real place in the world." With that, the eyes closed and the creature faded into a black mist. 

 

From it, Crona pulled the Demon Sword, but Ragnarok's soul wavelength had disappeared completely. Crona had absorbed it, likely to keep a piece of the creature within themselves. It had finally happened. The Demon Sword Ragnarok had died.

That night, the battle ended once and for all. Even without resonance, Crona's anger and grief had become too much. Crona tore free from the Black Blood spear, screaming in pain with it, but never stopping until upright, and immediately charged. It was all I could do to defend. Attacks did nothing. My opponent felt pain, but clearly ohnkfed it. An hour later, it was me who was pinned. Crona looked down, then knelt next to me and set a hand firmly on my shoulder. A soft look was in those eyes, despite the situation at hand. Somehow, despite having just lost Ragnarok, the child had a sudden calm about them.

 

"He wouldn’t have wanted me to kill anyone else." Crona's voice was soft. "I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again, and pray you’ll not fight me."

 

"What’re you going to do?" I demanded, forcing myself to keep my voice steady.

 

"I’m going to absorb you into my own soul. It’s been tainted more than enough. Enough to become a true Kishin. I may as well save who I can. You’ll still be alive, and conscious if you choose to be, but...you won’t be able to hurt anyone. Not anymore."

 

"I could still hurt you."

 

"So be it." Crona shrugged. "I’m sure I’ve suffered worse pain. Please. Don’t fight me. I’m just doing what I have to. This way I can release the casing and walk free." Leaving me no chance for further words, Crona did as promised. I felt my soul locking, absorbed into my opponent, merging with theirs. With hers.


	4. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Crona returns from the moon, it catches the gang's attention and Crona is reunited with the group.

BLACK STAR

 

It was a relatively normal evening. Tsubaki was in the kitchen, making stew and her amazing fresh baked bread, we had Soul and Maka over for the night. Maka was helping where she could while Soul and I messed around a bit. No school all week! Yahoo!

However, the evening was disrupted when Maka gasped and flew to the window, waving her arm and shouting something about the moon. I meandered over to her side and stared in shock. The moon was back to its usual, bright gold. Only a month ago it had been this colour, before it had been covered in the Black Blood of Crona. Was the Kishin free? If he was, that meant so was Crona. Looking at Maka, I could see she had made that conclusion as well. She grabbed her coat and threw it over her cloak. Was she SERIOUSLY going out right now to find the kid? I looked over my shoulder toward Tsubaki and Soul.

 

Soul sighed.  
"Goin' to find Crona?" He guessed. "Now that the moon's back?"

 

"Yes." Maka's expression was firm. "You can stay or come as you please."

 

Soul shrugged.  
"I’m coming. Last time we met Crona, there was a big fight and we almost lost. I’m not letting you die if something goes wrong again."

 

"Soul. I’ll be fine," she promised. "I changed Crona once before. If I need to, I’ll do it again. Again and again as needed. I just want my friend back."

 

"Now that’s some loyalty right there," I noted. "If you’re going, I’m coming. I’m with Soul. Can’t let anything bad happen to you."

 

Maka glared at us.  
"Come if you want, but Crona ISN'T evil." With that, she turned and headed out.

 

Soul sighed, but we nonetheless followed Maka.

 

"CRONA!" Maka shouted as we wandered along the beachside. "Crona, it’s Maka, Soul and Black Star. If Black Star is scaring you into hiding, we'll make him go away, I promise!"

 

I shot her an irritated look.  
"I’m not THAT bad, Maka."

 

She gave me a long look with a raised eyebrow.  
"Ohhh trust me. Yes you are." She bopped my nose. "That’s why I love you." She returned to her search.

 

It took the course of three hours before we finally found Crona, passed out by the shore. Maka had suspected if she had fallen from the moon, it would’ve been somewhere close to the beach, where the last drop of the Black Blood had vanished from. Now we found our friend, passed out on the shore, twisted into an awkward, not quite human position. Something was missing though. The slight hunch in Crona's spine was...gone, I saw when Maka straightened out the tall, unhealthy thin figure.

 

"Ragnarok!" Crona screamed, eyes snapping wide open, body shaking. "Ragnarok, where...?"

 

"Crona? It’s me, Maka." Maka brushed a strand of Crona's hair away, revealing the beautiful, pale eyes. "It’s okay. Look, it’s earth. You’re back, you’re home."

 

Crona's eyes turned to Maka, and his lip quivered. He broke down into sobs and hugged Maka tightly.  
"Maka! Soul, Black Star!" His voice was hoarse, like he’d been crying even before crashing back to earth. "I’m...I'm home, but Ragnarok..."

 

"What about him?" Maka tapped Crona's spine. "Hey, Ragnarok, c'mon. You’ve got people to annoy again!" She chirped.

 

Crona shook his head and tightened his grip on Maka.  
"Every n-night...we fought the Kishin. Every night it was a s-st-standstill...until tonight. He s-stabbed me, was going to kill me and...at the last moment, Ragnarok..." he couldn’t finish, breaking down again. "You don’t k-know how much you care about s-someone until you lose them."

 

Soul watched our friend carefully.  
"You mean to say that Ragnarok...?"

 

Crona gave a nod.  
"He...died for me. Maka, you can tell. You can tell he’s not there."

 

She closed her eyes for a moment and her shoulders slumped.  
"I...yeah. His soul is gone, mostly. Just the scraps left. Did you absorb him like the Kishin back on the moon?" She asked.

 

"What else could I do? I..." he wiped his tears away quickly. "I had to keep some p-piece of him with me. I didn’t know I loved him so much, NEEDED him so much...not...not until I heard him speak to me f-for the last time..."

 

"What did he say?" I asked.

 

Maka glared at me.  
"Crona probably doesn’t want to talk about-"

 

Crona smiled softly, sadly.  
"It’s okay. It’s nice to have someone friendly to talk to. Ragnarok...he...he told me that..." he choked on the words. "He told me that I h-had given him a real place in the w-world."

 

Soul put a hand on our friend's shoulder.  
"He made the choice for himself, Crona. In the end, you were more important in his eyes. I feel that. I’d do the same for Maka in a second."

 

"He lived a good life, Crona." Maka's voice was surprisingly gentle. "He lived a good life, and I guess he thought...it was worth it to save a younger one, one filled with promise. Crona...promise me you’re going to stay with us this time. Please, promise me."

 

Crona nodded quickly.  
"Yes! I’m staying now."

 

"I’ll inform Lord Death." Soul headed off.

 

"Soul!" Maka called. "At 3 IN THE MORNING?!?"

 

Soul paused.  
"Uhh...good point. At eight tomorrow then."

 

"Why eight s-specifically...?" Crona asked.

 

"Y'know...Kiddo being the new Shinigami and all," Soul reminded us. "Symmetry is still his things even though he’s in a position of power."

 

"O-Oh. Right. That." Crona paused. "What’ll you tell him?"

 

"That you’re back, that’s all." The weapon gave our friend a grin. "Glad to have ya back, you dummy."

 

I slung an arm around Crona's shoulders.  
"Yeah! Now c'mon, let’s head back to my place and we'll try and get Crona a room for the night."

 

Maka nodded,  
"Sounds good! Worst case scenario, Crona and I can share a bed," she decided. "I’m sure that’d be no problem."

 

"C-Can I anyway?" The pink-haired Meister asked. "I...need to be with a friend. All I’ve had for company for a month is Ragnarok, who was kinda absent half the time, and Asura."

 

"Yeah sure!"

 

Soul glanced over at her.  
"You sure that’ll be comfortable?" He asked.

 

She nodded.  
"Yeah, it’ll be fine. I'm the one who offered," he reminded him.

 

He shook his head slightly.  
"Okay...Whatever you say."

 

"Let’s head back in then," I suggested.

 

"S-Sounds good...I’m...glad to be home."

 

LATER...

 

"It...feels like it’s been forever since I was here." He reached up, lightly resting a hand on his back. "Ra-" He stopped, shaking his head. "Right."

 

Soul walked in from the kitchen.  
"Okay, I’ve made an appointment with Kiddo," he declared.

 

"Great! We should probably eat and then settle for the night." Maka took Crona's hand tentatively, watching our friend uncertainly. Through the walk home, he had been...mostly irresponsive.

 

At the feeling of her hand slipping into his own, Crona's fingers curled around Maka's and the Meister stepped closer to Maka, seemingly to be almost huddling against her, a look in his eyes as if...as if he had never seen her before, or like if he looked away, she would disappear. So...just the same as always. Good to see. We all sat down for dinner, and Tsubaki spoke first.

 

"Sad Kid, Liz and Patty couldn’t make it. We would’ve had the whole gang together." Her eyes fell on Crona. "It sure is good to have you back though. You were really brave, you know. Being willing to put so much on the line for us?"

 

"O-Of course! I..." Crona's gaze fell to the slice of buttered bread as Tsubaki and Maka served. "I c-caused a lot of harm, I hurt a lot of people...and I felt like...I c-could in some way make up for what I did that way."

 

"The Kishin?" Maka asked nervously. "What happened to him?"

 

"Oh...I absorbed him again. Hopefully he won’t fight this time." Crona smiled. "He promised he wouldn’t hurt you, Maka. As long as you don’t attack him, you’re safe."

 

"Where is he?" Maka demanded.

 

"Jeez...calm down, Maka," I muttered. "Relax."

 

"I do not relax!" She snapped.

 

"Yeah, we've noticed," I added with a roll of my eyes. She produced a book and held it up. I laughed. "Jeez. Calm down, you know we're just kidding around, don't'cha?"

 

She put away the book, then became calm and friendly again as she turned back to Crona.  
"So! Come on, tell us about it. What was going on up there? Why'd you stay away a whole month?"

 

"It...It could’ve been longer, but..."

 

"Because Crona locked both of them away to save our asses, that’s why!" Soul interrupted.

 

"Soul! N-No need to get worked up!" Crona yelped. "But yes...I wanted to save you guys, so...I locked m-myself away with the Kishin. It was the only way." His gaze turned to Maka. "As to where he is...I a-already told you. I absorbed his soul into my own."

 

"He'll hurt you, Crona! He'll hurt you to get free!" Maka cried out.

 

"It’s okay, really." Crona's voice was soft.

 

"How is it OKAY, Crona? Huh? You...You keep making these sacrifices for us. You don’t..." She shook her head. "We never would ask you to throw your own life and safety away for our sake."

 

"I know. I made that decision myself."

 

"You IDIOT!"

 

I smirked and leaned on the table.  
"Welcome back, Crona. Looks like you’ve already settled back in enough get the loose cannon start going at'cha."

 

"Heh..."

 

"Crona, eat something," Tsubaki ordered, pushing over a plate of bread and bowl of stew. "Almost everyone is already finished. We get you’ve got a lot to process, but you have to take care of yourself too. How long has it been since you’ve actually eaten anything?"

 

Crona looked at the food with surprise and relief, and quickly started eating, as if there were no tomorrow.  
"Thank you!"

 

Tsubaki laughed quietly.  
"It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

 

Crona paused from the fresh-baked bread.  
"O-Of course, there was no food up there on the moon, so...I just st-strengthened myself with the Black Blood, preserved what energy I could afford to. I...I don't know HOW I did it, but..." the violet eyes turned down to the food briefly. "I never knew how much of a t-toll it had t-taken on me until I started eating."

 

"Must be just about the best meal you’ve ever tasted, huh?" Maka asked, to which our friend quickly nodded agreement.

 

After dinner, we stayed up for an hour or so playing games and catching up with Crona before everyone started retiring for bed. Tsubaki paused at the door to our room and bid everyone goodnight, with an apologetic look towards Crona. After being assured that Crona had actually REQUESTED to share a bed with Maka for the night, the young woman seemed to relax a bit.

 

"Goodnight, guys!" She called, then waved to me. "Come on, Black Star. I’m not letting you stay up until three in the morning this time."

 

"Okaaaaay..." I fist-bumped Soul. "Well, 'night guys."

 

Then I followed Tsubaki. We had so little space it was a wonder we could even HAVE sleepovers. Tsubaki and I slept in the same room, while Soul lay out on the couch, with Maka and Crona in the tiny guest bedroom. I pulled my blankets up over myself and glanced over at Tsubaki, standing her in her white nightgown, nodding goodnight to her as she turned the light off for the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So here's my first Soul Eater story on this site, yay! I’ve put a lot of work into this, so I hope you all like it. Read and Review! I’m very serious about this story, so anything helps. <3
> 
> Also, PLEASE let me know how I am at portraying the characters. Like am I writing them well, or am I OOC? Some of them are new for me.


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